A Gem of a Case
by Neal Wolf
Summary: Part 3 of a series. A series of jewel heists becomes something far more sinister... and a family secret is revealed


Nathaniel let himself into Ranger HQ, a habit he'd just recently taken to. Though no longer pretending to be Foxglove's student, the squirrel still enjoyed the company of the Rangers, especially Tammy. Things had been somewhat hectic of late, due to last-minute planning for Chip & Gadget's wedding, which was now less than two weeks away. 

They hadn't had an actual case for quite a while, which was starting to show in Monterey Jack. Of course he was involved in the preparations; besides volunteering to cater the reception, Gadget had asked him to give her away in her father's place (which he had considered a particular honor). However, Monty was, by nature, a mouse of action, and the lack of adventure was starting to get on his nerves. As Nathaniel entered, he and Zipper were engrossed in the police scanner.

"Crikey," he muttered as much to himself as to the fly on his shoulder. "There's got ta be _some_thin' goin' on in a city this size…"

"There are worse things than boredom, Monterey," Nathaniel said, causing Monty to jump as he spun around.

"Nathaniel, me lad, _please_ don' sneak up on me like that," the burly bushmouse returned, visibly trying to calm himself down. "Last bloke that _did_ found 'imself planted in a wall."

"Sorry; I didn't realize you didn't hear me come in," said the squirrel, who then looked around. "Where is everybody?"

Monty was about to answer when a report came across the scanner. He broke into a wide grin as the report completed. "_Now_ we're talkin'!" he cried, rubbing his paws together in anticipation.

Chip had just walked in the door as Monty commented. "What's up?" he asked. "I haven't seen Monty this excited since the news report that cheese prices were going to hit an all-time low."

"We finally got a case to check out, that's what's up!" Monty was practically vibrating with the thought of an adventure. Nathaniel returned Chip's confused look with an explanation.

"Report just came over the scanner of a robbery from one of the fancier houses near the other end of the park. If the address is where I think it is, the person who lives there owns the single largest emerald in the world."

Chip thought about this a moment. "I dunno, this seems more like a case for the police than for us…"

"Oh come _on_, Chippah!" Monty pleaded. "I'm gettin' rusty 'ere!"

"Well," Chip said after a bit more thought, "I guess it couldn't hurt to at least go take a look around…"

"Around where?" Gadget was just coming in the front door with Tammy. Chip gave a brief explanation (twice, as Dale and Foxglove arrived toward the end), then the Rangers and Nathaniel piled into the Ranger Wing and took off.

* * *

"I simply don't understand it," a very well-dressed man was telling a police detective in what was clearly a display room. "There are alarms on every door and window, but none of them were set off. There is simply no other way someone could have gotten in here."

"You say the emerald is the only item missing," the detective stated. "Are you certain?"

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to the humans, a second investigation was underway in the same room. "Golly," Gadget remarked from near the edge of a window, "I've never even _seen_ an alarm system this sophisticated. I don't see any way it could've been bypassed."

"The only other way into this room is the way we came in," Dale commented, "through the air vent. Not a chance a thief could squeeze through there."

"A _human_ thief couldn't," Chip corrected from another corner of the room. "Maybe this _is_ a case for the Rescue Rangers after all…"

Zipper started squeaking loudly, trying to direct the others' attention to the selfsame air vent they had entered through. "Find somethin', did'ja pally?" Monty asked, checking the vent. He pulled a small scrap of purple fabric from one corner of the metal grate.

Just then, the detective's cell phone began ringing. As he excused himself from the homeowner, the Rangers looked to Foxglove, who easily had the best hearing of the group. She perked her large ears intently, nodding as the detective did.

"We'll call you as soon as we have a lead, sir," the detective assured the owner of the missing emerald before departing. The Rangers, however, gathered around Foxglove.

"Another robbery," she informed them. "This time it was a jewelry store about a mile from here. Strange thing is that it was only discovered because the store was doing inventory; no sign of forced entry, like here, and all they're missing is one diamond."

"Sounds like someone's taking up rock collecting," Tammy smirked.

"Things aren't always what they seem, Tam," Nathaniel pointed out, starting to lose himself in thought.

"This is 'bout the only clue we 'ave so far," Monty put in, holding out the piece of fabric Zipper had found.

"I've got a feeling I'm gonna regret this, but I think we should split up," Chip said after considering the situation. "First we'll head back to headquarters. Gadget, when we get there, see what you can find out by analyzing this cloth. Dale, you, Foxy, and Tammy head for the jewelry store; see if you can find any more clues. Monty, Zipper, and I will monitor the police scanner for any new developments."

Nathaniel looked over to Dale. "Any objections to a tagalong?"

Dale shrugged. "I don't care, as long as Foxy an' Tammy don't…"

Before either of them could give an opinion, Chip cut in. "I'm not sure that's such a good idea, Nathaniel. Don't get me wrong, it's nothing against you, but you do tend to be a bit of a distraction to… certain other parties." He glanced at Tammy with this.

"I'm perfectly capable of keeping my mind on business, Chip," the female squirrel told him with a dirty look. "Besides, an extra pair of eyes might come in handy."

Although he still had some misgivings about the matter, Chip couldn't come up with a viable argument, so he reluctantly agreed. A quick stop later, the Ranger Wing (with half its prior occupants) was on its way to the jewelry store while Gadget busied herself in her workshop and the remaining Rangers camped in front of the police scanner.

* * *

It was over an hour before Dale and the others came through the door, none of them looking very pleased. Chip read their expressions as he looked up from the police scanner. "No luck, huh?"

"Nope," Dale shook his head. "Same deal as the house with the emerald; no way a human could've gotten to it without setting off an alarm."

"The gem that was stolen wasn't really even all that valuable," Foxglove added. "It was a yellow diamond."

"I knew a gopher once 'oo worked in a diamond mine in Africa," Monty told them. " 'e said sometimes diamonds get impurities in 'em, which make 'em look different colors. Yellow an' brown are the most common. They usually jus' get put to industrial uses, but some people'll buy the yellow ones to offset a normal gem."

Gadget was just emerging from her workshop, the purple cloth in one paw. "Gosh, that doesn't seem right. According to my analysis, this cloth is some of the finest satin in the world. Whoever was wearing what it was part of likely has very expensive tastes."

"Worst part of it is the diamond could've been stolen any time within the past two days," Tammy put in. "It was there when the store started doing inventory, but was gone when they went back to re-check. If it was taken the night before last, any chance at a clue to the thief went by the boards as soon as they opened yesterday."

Zipper, who was splitting his attention between the conversation and the police scanner, suddenly took more of an interest in the latter. After a moment, he squeaked something to Monty.

Monty nodded, then turned back to the group. "Looks like our jewel thief's struck again, this time in broad daylight. A call just came in from the City Museum."

"Well, what're we waiting for?" asked Chip. "Rescue Rangers, away!"

* * *

The police had already left the scene as the Rangers began their clue search. In the center of the room they were in stood a large alabaster statue of a tiger; one eye was a brilliant sapphire, but the other eye socket was empty.

" 'Pride of Siberia', on loan from the Russian National Museum," Nathaniel said, looking up at the statue. "They're not going to be happy about this…"

"Too right, mate," Monty nodded. "A thing like this could cause an international incident."

"That's why we've gotta find the thief, fast," Chip finished.

After a few minutes of searching, Tammy whistled from near the air vent. "Hey guys! I think I might have somethin'. It's not much, but…"

Nathaniel and the Rangers gathered around her as she held up a single gray hair. "Hmm," Gadget muttered, inspecting the hair more closely. "Offhand, I can't tell much. I'd have to take it back to headquarters for closer study to make sure, but judging just by the texture, I'd hazard a guess that this is a feline hair."

"A cat with gray fur and expensive tastes," said Chip, a knowing grin forming. "Sound like anyone we know?"

"Fat Cat!" Monty announced, pounding his fist into his paw.

Zipper buzzed, a puzzled look on his face.

"Zipper's right, this isn't like him," said Dale. "Fat Cat usually has his goons do his dirty work for him; why would he pull these thefts himself?"

"Unless even Fat Cat is just the next step to whoever's _really_ behind this," Tammy suggested. "Why don't we go ask him?"

Chip looked astonished. "Are you _cuh-razy_? We'd come out in better shape if we jumped into a blender set for 'liquefy'!"

"No kiddin'," Monty agreed. "Jus' waltzin' inta Fat Cat's hideout an' askin' 'im ta chat would be suicide. We need ta figure out where 'e's gonna hit next… an' be waitin' fer 'im."

"Elements," Nathaniel mumbled under his breath. When he realized the others had heard him, he explained. "Some higher-end magical spells require candles or stones of certain colors to represent the four elements. The stronger the spell, the better quality the stones or candles need to be."

"Fat Cat's a business-type, though," Dale argued. "Why would he have anything to do with magic?"

Nathaniel shrugged. "Maybe he's got a witch or sorcerer working for him; it's just a thought…"

"As off-the-wall as it sounds, it's the closest thing to a lead we've got right now," Chip concluded. "Assuming you're right, what does he still need?"

"He's already got a sapphire, an emerald, and a yellow diamond," Foxglove answered for him, Nathaniel nodding. "Blue, green, and yellow…" She thought a second before continuing. "Water, earth, and air; he still needs something red, for fire."

Chip and Dale looked at each other, the same conclusion reaching both of them. "The Clutchcoin Ruby!" they said in unison.

"Golly, I just remembered," said Gadget. "I heard something on the news about the Clutchcoin Ruby being auctioned at a charity event at City Hall _tonight_!"

"Let's get to City Hall, then," Chip instructed, "and_quick_!"

* * *

Upon arriving, the Rangers crept into a back storage room at City Hall, where all of the auction items for the evening were being kept, and waited. Sure enough, less than an hour before the auction was set to begin, the air vent creaked open and a very familiar rotund form appeared. Fat Cat was dressed in his usual suit, minus a small corner, but there was something odd about him. He seemed distant, like his body was there but his mind wasn't. He carefully picked his way to the Clutchcoin Ruby, pulling a small sack from his jacket.

Once he'd stuffed the ruby into the sack, the Rangers sprang into action, swinging down from ropes and striking him square in the chest. The impact sent the voluminous feline sprawling, the sack flying from his paw.

Fat Cat shook his head, as if he'd just been awakened from a deep sleep. "Huh, what? Where am I?" He looked at his chest. "Why are you ridiculous Rangers standing on me?!"

"Don't play dumb with us, Fat Cat," Chip told him, looking him square in the eye. "We know you're responsible for the jewel thefts; we even caught you with the Clutchcoin Ruby… _again_!"

"I assure you that I have no idea what you're talking about, rodent," Fat Cat sneered.

"Um, Chip," Nathaniel interrupted, holding the sack open. "I think we have a bigger problem…"

Chip hopped off of Fat Cat's chest to take a look in the sack. It was empty! "All right, what'd you do with it?"

"What did I do with _what_?!" the feline crime boss roared, bolting upright, which unceremoniously tossed the other Rangers into a heap on the floor. "One second ago, I was in my hideout, getting ready to take a nap, and the next, I'm here attempting to decipher your accusations!"

Foxglove had pulled herself out of the tangle of bodies, and was assisting Dale to his feet. "I think he's telling the truth, guys. The way he was acting before we dropped on him kind'a put me to mind of how Gadget was when she was under the V-chip's control in DC."

"Y'mean somebody else was controlling him?" asked Dale. Fat Cat was about to interject something, but decided to hold his thought upon hearing this.

"Not by a V-chip," Monty suggested. "Nobody'd be able t'keep 'im still long enough ta put it in."

Foxglove then turned to Fat Cat. "You said you were about to take a nap; what time was that?"

Fat Cat was about to say something to the effect of seeing no reason to answer their questions, but decided instead to play along and see where this led. "It was about noon; I usually take a short nap after lunch."

She then looked to Nathaniel, who nodded in understanding, before explaining to the others. "There are spells out there that allow the caster to control people through their dreams, kind'a like being mesmerized."

Fat Cat's eyes narrowed. "You mean I've been controlled by someone else… against my will? _Nobody_ uses Fat Cat as a cat's-paw and gets away with it…"

Nathaniel studied the sack for a moment, waving his paw around it in a peculiar pattern, then looked over. "This sack is a portal; it's meant to transport whatever's put in it to another sack somewhere else. I'm afraid I can't tell where…"

"Then finding out should be at the top of our list," said Chip.

"But for all we know, that could be anywhere in the _world_," Tammy argued.

"Probably not," Gadget reassured her. "Given that most if not all of the thefts would require local knowledge, whoever's_really_ behind all this is probably somewhere in the city."

"Even still, Gedjit-luv, in the time it'd take us t'search the 'ole city, we could be long past too late when we finally find 'im," Monty pointed out.

Nathaniel thought a moment, then a slight grin started to play at his lips. " 'The enemy of my enemy is my ally', Fat Cat…"

Fat Cat arched an eyebrow at the squirrel magician. "You realize that could work either way in my case…"

"You just have to decide who you hate more," Chip said simply, "us, or whoever used you."

Fat Cat thought about this. "Normally, that would be easy, but in _this_ case… very well; I'll put the word out and contact you when I have something."

"In the meantime, we'll get started on our own search," Chip told him. "We'll cover more ground if we take the Wing and the Ranger Plane, but that means splitting up again…"

"Um, would this be a bad time to mention that the Ranger Plane's down for repairs?" asked Gadget sheepishly.

"No problem," said Dale. "You guys form one group in the Ranger Wing, an' I'll go with Foxy with my hang glider."

"…and Nathaniel and I can stay at HQ to wait for word from Fat Cat," Tammy added, then said under her breath, "Never thought I'd say _that_…"

"It's settled, then," Chip said. "Rescue…"

"Say it and I'll eat you," Fat Cat growled.

Chip suddenly looked very nervous. "Ulp! Um… I mean, let's go!"

* * *

A short time later, in another place, a hand withdrew the Clutchcoin Ruby from a sack and set it very carefully on a pedestal, positioning it perfectly in relation to the other stolen gems and a disc-shaped gold amulet engraved with the sideways-8 symbol representing infinity. The face that went with the hand smiled evilly as first the gems, then the amulet began to glow.

Somewhere in the murky light of a women's prison, an old cleaning woman suddenly got a chill down her spine, but couldn't explain why.

In the fortune-teller's tent of a traveling carnival, a gypsy moth was overwhelmed with a sense of impending doom.

Foxglove was gliding alongside Dale, both of them keeping an eye out for anything unusual, when it hit her. "Dale? I don't feel so…" her voice trailed off as she blacked out, her gentle glide quickly becoming a not-so-gentle fall.

"_**FOXY**_!" Dale jerked his glider into a steep dive, swooping down and grabbing Foxglove as best he could with his legs as he pulled back up. "C'mon, hon, snap out of it! I don't know how long this thing'll hold both of us…"

Foxglove shook her head to clear it, then nodded to Dale to let her go, allowing her to fly under her own power once more. "Thanks, cutie."

"Are you okay?" Dale asked, his deep concern clear in his voice.

"I am now," she assured him. "To be honest, though, I'm not even sure…"

"… what just happened," Nathaniel said as Tammy was helping him back to his feet. "It felt like somebody hit me in the head."

"Ya think it might have somethin' to do with this case?" she asked, holding his arm to help steady him.

Nathaniel looked worried. "I hope not, but I've got a bad feeling it does." He glanced up at the clock. "The others should be back soon; maybe they found something."

Sure enough, Dale and Foxglove walked in just then, soon followed by the rest of the Rangers. Both groups had come up empty, Monty pointing out that it didn't help that they really didn't know what they were looking for.

They were discussing their next move when there was a knock at the door. When Chip went to answer it, however, there was nobody there; just a small note left on the doormat. Chip read the note aloud as he came back in. "Hmm… 'Pier Forty-Seven, Warehouse Five, the one everyone thinks is abandoned'… there's a big paw print at the bottom."

"Crikey," Monty chuckled, "looks like ol' Fatso came through fer us after all."

"Well, since I didn't get to say it earlier," Chip smirked, "Rescue Rangers, away!"

* * *

Gadget set the Ranger Wing down on the roof of Warehouse Five, and the Rangers, plus Nathaniel, carefully made their way inside, following an eerie glow to what looked like a second floor office. In the center of the office, a pedestal was set up, the stolen gems and a disc-shaped gold amulet arranged very carefully on its surface. It was these items providing the light, but what caught the Rangers' attention was the man looking over the pedestal. He wore loose-fitting pants and a shirt that came down in front of his chest in a V-shape, leaving his arms bare. His close-cropped dark hair provided a small frame for his thin features, a cruel smile forming as he studied the pedestal.

"Joshua Pike," Nathaniel informed the others. "If you ever need an example of using magic for the wrong reasons, he's your man. Whatever he's doing, I guarantee it isn't good."

"Then we need to stop it," Chip said with a nod, "but how?"

"Shifting one of the things on the pedestal out of place should disrupt whatever spell he's casting," Foxglove offered, "right, Natha… Nathaniel?"

The squirrel she was addressing, however, was already on his way to the pedestal, having noticed that Joshua had turned his attention somewhere else. He scrambled up one leg of the pedestal and peeked over the top of it, ensuring that Joshua still wasn't watching, then pulled himself up. He gave the nearest gem a shove, but it didn't budge. He was about to give it another try when he suddenly found himself encased in a bubble of energy.

"What have we here?" Joshua purred as a wave of his hand lifted Nathaniel's prison from the pedestal, floating it to eye level with him. "Why, it appears to be a squirrel, but then, appearances can be deceiving, can't they, Nathaniel?" The squirrel's jaw dropped.

"Oh, don't look so surprised," Joshua continued. "Regardless of what skin you're wearing, did you really think I wouldn't recognize my own brother?"

The Rangers, who had made their way under the pedestal, stopped short at hearing this. They silently agreed to ask about it later, and made their way up the leg of the pedestal. As soon as Chip, who was in the lead, tried to climb up on top, another energy field sprang to life, similar to the one holding Nathaniel, but this time surrounding the pedestal and knocking all of the Rangers to the floor.

Joshua turned to see what was going on, then smirked. "You even brought guests," he said sarcastically. "Dropping by unannounced on your own I could forgive, little brother, but bringing company along without at least letting me know first is just bad form." As the Rangers scrambled for the nearest exit, a wave of Joshua's hand brought yet another energy bubble into being. Instead of trapping all of the Rangers in it, however, he only caught one.

"_**TAMMY!!**_" Nathaniel's normally calm face became a mask of rage. "Joshua, so help me, let her go or I'll…"

"Or you'll _what_?" Joshua growled back. Tammy looked astonished, as did the other Rangers, out of view. It hadn't crossed their minds that Joshua might be able to understand them.

"Just what do you intend to threaten me with, little brother, rabies?" Joshua continued. "You can't very well physically overpower me in your current state, even if you were loose, and you forget, I know you too well; you would never even consider learning a spell that would harm someone else, even in your own defense.

"It will soon be a moot point, anyway," Joshua leaned over the pedestal, the energy bubbles holding Nathaniel and Tammy floating nearby. "You see, I had the forethought to charm this amulet so that once I put it on, it can never be removed. Once this part of the enchantment is completed," he waved his hand over the pedestal, "the amulet will boost my magic to infinite levels. Nothing will be able to stop me, and my first order of business," his cruel grin grew wider, "will be your destruction. However, since you _are_ my brother, I will not be without some mercy…" Another wave of his hand sent Tammy's prison flying at Nathaniel's, the two bubbles merging on impact and dropping Tammy in Nathaniel's arms.

"There, you can at least spend the last moments of your life with your girlfriend… or would it be 'squirrel-friend'?" Joshua snickered softly. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to work on my acceptance speech for when I'm given the title 'Absolute Master of the World'…" He then stepped off into another room, closing the door behind him.

"I thought he'd never leave," Nathaniel muttered under his breath, rooting around in the pocket of his jacket. He pulled out a small, gray, almost metallic-looking stone and smiled, wrapping one arm around Tammy's waist. "Hang on, Tam; it's kind of a long drop."

"Drop? What're you talkin' ab…" Her question was cut off as Nathaniel touched the stone to the bubble, causing the bubble to wink out of existence. With a yelp, she threw her arms around his neck as they dropped to the floor, landing roughly but unharmed. She gave him a teasing grin. "Okay, showoff, how'dja do that?"

He held up the stone he'd pulled out. "Hematite: it cancels out negative energy, which is pretty much all Joshua uses. Now, we need to find the others…" a high-pitched whistle pulled their attention to the door, where Zipper was waving for them to follow him.

* * *

The Rangers had gathered in a storage area below the office when Zipper brought the squirrels to them. "You knew this guy was behind all this, didn't you?" Chip asked, pointing at Nathaniel accusingly.

The squirrel magician nodded slightly. "I suspected it; I didn't know for sure until just now, though. That's why I wanted to come along. If it was Joshua, I didn't know how well you guys would be able to handle him, plus the fact that I kind of feel responsible for him."

"What was all that about you being his brother?" asked Gadget.

"He is," Nathaniel replied. "My full name is Nathaniel Pike; I was born human and turned myself into a squirrel, remember?"

"Golly, I keep forgetting that…"

Tammy smirked. "Jeez, an' I thought _Bink_ was a pain…"

"Family reunions aside, we need to figure out how to stop him," said Chip. "Anybody got any ideas?"

Gadget was looking through the junk that had been left behind in the storage area. "Maybe… what if that amulet didn't do what he thinks it'll do?"

Monty raised an eyebrow curiously. "Jes' how ya plan on makin' that 'appen, Gedjit-luv?"

"From my observations of Foxy and Nathaniel, it seems to me that magic works in a very similar fashion to electricity," Gadget explained. "You direct the energy into a certain pattern to get the desired result… of course, you guys use chants and willpower instead of wires and circuits, but the basic concept's the same. Anyway, if you take a simple battery-powered motor and connect the battery backwards, the motor runs in the opposite direction, so if we can reverse the polarity of the energy going into the amulet, it should cause it to have an opposite effect."

"The energy flow's being controlled by the gems, and the directions they're facing," Foxglove noted. "If we can reverse which way they're facing, it'll reverse the flow of energy into the amulet."

"But how're we gonna do that?" asked Tammy. "We can't get near those gems without that shield popping up again."

"She's right; I wouldn't doubt that the only reason I got through was because Joshua let me," Nathaniel added.

"We can't get _at_ the gems, but we can get _under_ them," Gadget smiled. "I think I can rig something down here, but I'll need Joshua distracted…"

Nathaniel glanced at Tammy, then smiled. "Leave that to me…"

* * *

Joshua was going over his speech when he heard a quiet tap at the door. A quick gesture caused the door to open on its own; standing on the other side was Nathaniel, dragging Tammy's limp form behind him.

"I knew you'd get out of my trap sooner or later," Joshua smirked, still looking over his speech. "I'm surprised you didn't run off to join your friends."

"They'd already left," Nathaniel told him. "They abandoned me. This one wanted to go after them, but I had other ideas. She didn't like 'em, so…"

The sorcerer looked down at his brother-turned-squirrel. "Well, I can tell she's not dead; I can see her breathing from here."

Nathaniel shook his head. "No, she's just unconscious; I might have some use for her later."

Joshua arched an eyebrow curiously. "That sounded rather cold-blooded, coming from you. Just what was this 'other idea' you had?"

Nathaniel smirked, waving a gesture that closed the door. "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em."

The human leaned forward to regard the squirrel more closely. "Let me guess… this is the part where I say something to the effect of 'why should I believe you', and you go into some speech about us being brothers, probably throwing 'blood is thicker than water' into it somewhere. Sorry, little brother, I'm not buying it."

Nathaniel shrugged. "Actually, brother, all I was going to say was that you have nothing to lose and something to gain." When he noted that this had kept Joshua's attention, he continued. "You get your amulet, then turn me back into a human. If I'm telling the truth, you have a very potent and capable lieutenant; if I'm not, and I try to betray you, you destroy me, and you've lost nothing."

Joshua thought about this for a moment. "I have to admit, Nathaniel, you make a very valid point. However, I'm not certain I trust you yet. There is a very simple way you could prove yourself, though…" he pointed to Tammy. "Kill her."

"If you turn me down and I'm stuck as a squirrel, she may prove useful to me," Nathaniel returned, careful that his voice didn't betray the horror in his heart at the thought. "However, if you make me human, I'll prove my loyalty…" He sneered to hide the fact that he was swallowing a lump in his throat. "… by crushing her in my bare hand."

"It's time!" Joshua stood up and walked back into the pedestal room. He didn't notice Tammy's shudder, nor Nathaniel's reassuring scratch at the back of her neck. He snatched the amulet off of the pedestal, holding it up triumphantly as Nathaniel came in, dragging Tammy behind him. "I can feel the sheer power surging through it!" He laughed maniacally as he ceremoniously draped the chain of the amulet around his neck.

"Now, brother, dear," he said, turning to the squirrels, "do I take you up on your offer, or do I obliterate you and the girl in one shot… let's find out, shall we?" Nathaniel reflexively stepped in front of Tammy as Joshua thrust his hand toward them, palm out…

… and nothing happened.

Joshua looked at his hand, dumbfounded. He looked frantically around the room as Nathaniel helped Tammy to her feet and the two of them made for the exit. The sorcerer's eyes finally fell on the pedestal, taking in what had transpired. "The gems… they're backwards! How…?" He then saw two furry tails running out the door.

"_**Nathaniel!**_" he screamed in rage, charging out the door after him. In his blind fury, Joshua overestimated the distance from the office door to the guardrail overlooking the warehouse floor. He tumbled over, landing on a pile of tarps and other soft materials. As he got to his feet, he noticed the storage area beneath the office. A floor jack held up a section of the office floor which had been cut out, directly under the pedestal. This, in turn, was set on the turntable of an old record player.

"It can't be…" Joshua looked at the contraption, then looked down at the amulet. He tried to pull the amulet off, but to no avail.

"Sorry, brother dear," Nathaniel called down to him from the guardrail, Tammy and the other Rangers with him. "The charm to keep the amulet from being removed was the one part of the spell we couldn't reverse. Besides, you should know me well enough to have realized that I wouldn't turn on my friends… or have friends that would turn on me."

"You're forgetting one thing, _little_ brother," Joshua growled, picking up a board. "You may have neutralized my magic, but I'm still considerably larger than you; I can still physically crush you!" As Joshua started to step off the pile of tarps he'd landed on, however, several crates fell from an upper part of the warehouse, pulling previously-hidden ropes taut and lifting the sorcerer off his feet in a well-disguised net.

Nathaniel grinned at Gadget. "Why didn't you tell me about that?"

The mouse inventor looked as surprised as Joshua. "_I_ didn't know about it."

"The net was my doing," Fat Cat's voice purred from nearby as the feline stepped from the shadows. "I told you I was going to get even with this scum for using me. I just needed to wait until he was powerless."

"Did we get bounced inta some freaky alternate universe?" asked Dale. "Fat Cat just saved our lives."

"I guarantee when we meet next, I won't be nearly as congenial," Fat Cat sneered.

"Now all we have to do is get the police down here to pick up Joshua and the gems," Tammy smiled.

"I don't believe this," Joshua muttered from his net. "I've been outdone by a pack of rodents!"

"You get used to it after a while, trust me," Fat Cat quipped.

Nathaniel smiled. "And to be precise, Joshua, you were outdone by your brother and the Rescue Rangers."

"Funny you should say it that way, Nathaniel. I was thinking more along the lines of his brother and the _rest_ of the Rangers…" Chip smiled and held out his paw. "That is, if you want the job."

Nathaniel smiled back, taking Chip's paw in his own and shaking it firmly. "I accept… gladly."


End file.
